Sophie Banks: The Quiet Force Behind Britain’s Greatest Botanist

Sarah Sophia Banks

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 28, 1744 On this day in history, we celebrate Sarah Sophia “Sophie” Banks [BANKS], born today.  Sophie, as her family and friends referred to her, reminds us that behind every great gardener…

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October 25, 2024 Patrick Neill, Joseph Hetherington McDaniels, Tyge Wittrock Bocher, The Healing Garden by Juliet Blankespoor, and A Tale of Two Postmen Turned Accidental Alpine Plant Merchants

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1776 Patrick Neill, British printer and horticulturalist, is born. 1840 Joseph Hetherington McDaniels, Classical Scholar, is born.  1909 Tyge Wittrock Böcher [TEE-guh VIT-rock…

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The Secret Garden Life of Patrick Neill: Edinburgh’s Horticultural Hero

Patrick Neill (1776-1851), FRSE, courtesy The Royal Socicty of Edinburgh

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 25, 1776 It was on this day, dear listeners, that one of gardening’s most intriguing figures made his entrance into our world. Patrick Neill [PAT-rick NEEL] (October 25, 1776 – September 3,…

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From a Duke’s Gardens to Botanical Immortality: Thomas Hoy’s Legacy

Hoya Flower

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 1, 1822 On this day, the horticultural world bid farewell to Thomas Hoy, an English gardener, horticulturist, and botanist of considerable repute. Hoy’s life was a testament to the dedication and passion…

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The Eccentric’s Garden: William Beckford’s Horticultural Legacy

William Beckford (colorized & enhanced) from drawing of his portrait

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 29, 1760 Today, we celebrate the birthday of William Beckford as we contemplate the complex legacy of his wealth – derived from the unconscionable enslavement of Jamaicans – which funded his passionate…

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The Garden Revolutionary: Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell’s Natural Legacy

Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell by Clemens Zimmermann, after 1808

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 13, 1750 On this day, my dearest fellow gardening enthusiasts, we celebrate the birth of a true revolutionary in the art of landscape design – Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell. And what a…

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From Churchyard to Garden Museum: John Tradescant’s Lasting Legacy

John Tradescant the Elder (portrait attributed to Cornelis de Neve)

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: April 17, 1638 On this day, dear readers, we mark a somber yet significant moment in horticultural history. For it was on this date, that the mortal remains of John Tradescant the elder were laid to rest in the hallowed ground of St Mary…

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